Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) non-disclosure and (b) other confidentiality agreements relating to (i) employment, (ii) bullying, (iii) misconduct and (iii) harassment cases have been agreed by their Department in each year since 1 January 2010; and how much money from the public purse has been spent on (A) legal costs and (B) financial settlements for such agreements in each year since 1 January 2010.

DWP follows the: Cabinet Office Guidance on Settlement Agreements, Special Severance Payments on Termination of Employment and Confidentiality Clauses, launched in 2015 and revised in 2019. The Government is clear that confidentiality clauses should not be used to prevent staff from raising or discussing allegations of bullying, harassment or discrimination.

DWP does not hold confidentiality agreement data between the periods 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2020 but has been reporting this information to the Cabinet Office annually since 1 April 2020 following the revision to the guidance. DWP has not agreed any non-disclosure or other confidentiality agreements in the financial years ending April 2021 and April 2022, nor the current financial year to date.